Olympics

[KeithS]

We used to practice the Olympic Games too - but the only event we used to simulate was the torch lighting ceremony...

I lived up in the Blue Mountains when the Moscow Olympics were on, so we'd go down the bush and find as many fallen gum tree branches as we could and pile them up high. Then we'd roll up a newspaper tightly and dip the end in kerosene and then light it. We'd run around, passing it from one to the other until we lit the pile of branches and we'd get flames about forty feet high once the leaves caught alight - great fun

(Kiddies - don't try this at home, I was very irresponsible and I regret my actions hehe)

[KeithS]

Phew!!!! The Olympics are over and I can get back to looking up Disney stuff.

Seriously, I've hardly had time to do anything other than eat, work, and watch the games. (Anthony, look away now) I even missed the Indycar and Nascar races while they were on!

Things should get back to normal now

[ajp]

I even missed the Indycar and Nascar races while they were on!

[mushu mama]

I even missed the Indycar and Nascar races while they were on!

breathe, ajp... just breathe...

I wish I'd been able to see either the opening or closing ceremony... I always enjoy the spectacle. Otherwise, I saw a LOT of the rest of it... always love it.

[KeithS]

Another four years have passed, so it is time to resurrect this thread once again!!!

So - who has been watching this year?

How about you Greg - I'm sure you were impressed by the Australian women rugby sevens beating NZ in the final

I'm staying up to about 11:30 each night to watch the beginning of competition (usually rowing) and then I watch the swimming finals at work in the morning.

I've been enjoying it so far, although there hasn't been much of a crowd at the events.

[calisota]

Another four years have passed, so it is time to resurrect this thread once again!!!

So - who has been watching this year?

How about you Greg - I'm sure you were impressed by the Australian women rugby sevens beating NZ in the final

The Australians were the favorites so not too much of a surprise. Bit disappointed at the men's team and where they finished but pretty happy to see the Fijians win it, especially given what it means to the country.
No TV here to speak of so I can't watch it, I have to rely on Google for results. 
What's the coverage been like in Australia, the usual complaints about how rubbish it is?

Greg

[KeithS]

What's the coverage been like in Australia, the usual complaints about how rubbish it is?

Yep - and it really is.  During the London Olympics, we had Foxtel covering it with eight channels covering every event live, so we could just watch whatever sport we liked whenever we liked.  This time, channel seven has exclusive rights to the games and are using three free to air channels plus a streaming service for portable devices.
The TV channels only show Australians; so if we aren't in a sport, you won't see that sport live.  I haven't seen any weightlifting, handball, hardly any shooting or archery etc - the list goes on. So we are essentially like you - we have to use Google to find out what is going on!  And when they do show some good things (like track cycling) they have to keep flipping back to some other sport if an Aussie is in it because they don't have enough channels to cover everything.
We have seen a lot of swimming however - and of course they like to show the track events.
I guess we were just spoiled by the Foxtel coverage last time.

And don't get me started on the commentary...

[calisota]

And don't get me started on the commentary...

I guess being a commentator is a lose - lose situation. 
The Olympics are a tailor made situation for a multi channel setup like Foxtel. If you are the one deciding what to show on 7 at the moment you are going to get complaints if you show too much Australian stuff or too little.
For something like this maybe the government could pony up a little more bandwidth for just the duration of the games or wouldn't that be technically feasible?
Greg

[mushu mama]

What's the coverage been like in Australia, the usual complaints about how rubbish it is?

Yep - and it really is.  During the London Olympics, we had Foxtel covering it with eight channels covering every event live, so we could just watch whatever sport we liked whenever we liked.  This time, channel seven has exclusive rights to the games and are using three free to air channels plus a streaming service for portable devices.
The TV channels only show Australians; so if we aren't in a sport, you won't see that sport live.  I haven't seen any weightlifting, handball, hardly any shooting or archery etc - the list goes on. So we are essentially like you - we have to use Google to find out what is going on!  And when they do show some good things (like track cycling) they have to keep flipping back to some other sport if an Aussie is in it because they don't have enough channels to cover everything.
We have seen a lot of swimming however - and of course they like to show the track events.
I guess we were just spoiled by the Foxtel coverage last time.

And don't get me started on the commentary...

could not have worded it better myself...
The coverage is woeful.
I started out trying to watch what I was interested in but its been a struggle and frankly, I've all but given up.
I watched the women's rowing because one of the young girls competing is from the small farming community I grew up in( and also a relative of sorts if you go far enough back ) and she was christened right beside my son, so I've watched her rise and rise in the sport and was so excited to see her row.  I've watched a little of the equestrian because I always enjoy watching that.  I've watched a little swimming, a little diving and not much else.  I've kept up with it via the internet since then.  Honestly, this is the first olympics I haven't been glued to the TV for the duration.  I'm hoping to go to Tokyo for the next Olympics ( as well as sneak in a Disney trip).